In a fuel cell, hydrogen and oxygen are typically combined to generate energy and heat in an electrochemical reaction, with water being produced as the sole byproduct. To that end, the hydrogen is ducted into an anode gas chamber and the oxygen into a cathode gas chamber of the fuel cell. The hydrogen can be fed to the anode gas chamber either as pure hydrogen or as a hydrogenous fuel gas. The oxygen can be supplied to the cathode gas chamber as pure oxygen or also, for example, in the form of air.
In order to activate the fuel cell, these fuel gases must be introduced into the as yet empty gas chambers of the fuel cell. A fuel gas is usually supplied to a gas chamber via a gas supply line which is connected to the gas chambers and into which is inserted a valve for switching the gas supply to the gas chamber on and off. If the gas supply line is connected to a gas supply facility, after the valve is opened the pressure in the gas chamber increases at a velocity that is dependent on the flow cross-section of the valve.
The increasing pressure in the gas chamber can cause the cell membrane to be subjected to mechanical stresses which can result in the cell membrane's being damaged or even to its failure. If the fuel cell is part of a fuel cell stack, a cell membrane failure of this kind can lead to the failure of the entire fuel cell stack.